Technological Field
This application relates generally to systems and methods for conducting electrotherapy.
Description of the Related Art
Energy-based therapeutic devices rely on the application of energy to an external region of a patient's body in order to provide localized treatment or relief to a condition affecting the region. Treatment can be provided using any combination of one or more of a number of energy sources, including low-voltage electricity, magnetic waves, radio waves, shockwaves, microwaves, radiofrequency, laser, heat waves, ultrasound, light waves, and the like. The energy is delivered to a desired region of the patient via externally applied energy transmission member or node (e.g., electrodes, pads, transducers, or patches) attached to the device. For example, electrotherapy includes the application of electrical or electromagnetic stimulation to a particular part of the body for medical purposes. Electrotherapy treatment is widely used by doctors, therapists, athletes, trainers, and coaches for a variety of medical applications, including muscle stimulation, neurological diseases, pain management, treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction, improving the range of joint mobility, tissue repair, treatment for acute and chronic edema, improving peripheral blood flow, iontophoresis, preventing thrombosis post-surgery, and urine and fecal incontinence among other ailments. Electrotherapy treatments generally involve the use of an electro-stimulation device to generate electrical pulses which are delivered to the treatment site via electrodes placed in close proximity to the site. The electrodes are available in an assortment of practical and useful shapes and sizes, and may be applied to the body by being planted on the surface of the skin, just beneath the skin, or deep into tissue, depending on the nature of the injury or the particular treatment sought.
People often use electrical stimulation devices such as electrotherapy devices, during or after exercise for one or both of rehabilitative and prophylactic treatment. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (“TENS”) and other electro-stimulation (“electrostim”) systems use electrodes and controllers which are connected and operated by wired connections. Wireless devices have also been developed.
However, available wireless devices operate with stand-alone controllers that have no other utility or functionality for the user. Thus, a user who wants to wear a wireless TENS unit when jogging, would need to carry a separate mobile device if he or she wanted to retain telephone, email, web and other wireless functionality. As people become more reliant on “smartphones” and other mobile devices such as tablet computers, it becomes increasingly cumbersome and unworkable to carry multiple devices when exercising. Furthermore, many electrostim units are bulky and cumbersome. These units are difficult to place under clothing or in certain areas on the body, especially when wearing these units while exercising, lying down, or sleeping, or in other environments where the units are difficult to manipulate or where the settings can get bumped and inadvertently changed.